Before you whip out the antibacterial hand sanitizer, check this list of not-so-dirty places that get a bad rap.

The Toilet

The Toilet

"There's more E. coli in the average sink than in the toilet after you flush it," says microbiologist Charles Gerba (a.k.a. Dr. Germ), a professor in the University of Arizona's department of soil, water, and environmental science. The seat is especially clean. "There's usually 200 times more fecal bacteria on a cutting board than on a toilet seat," he adds. (Unfortunately, that's not the case for telephones, remote controls, sponges and dishtowels!)

Because you "perceive" your toilet as dirty, you're more likely to clean it, says microbiologist Lisa Yakas, a home-product certification project manager at NSF International, a nonprofit public-health organization. "Those areas they don't think about are the ones that get ignored." Still, flush with the toilet lid down to prevent spraying fecal matter (potentially contaminated with E. coli) and stash toothbrushes in a drawer or medicine cabinet, says Yakas.

Coins

Coins

Germs prefer soft, moist environments. "Coins are made of metal, and metal has some antimicrobial properties," says microbiologist Kelly Wroblewski, director of the infectious disease program at the Association of Public Health Laboratories. "They're not a good place for germs to live." In fact, copper, nickel, and silver are antimicrobial, says Gerba. "Coinage money, like dimes, nickels, quarters, generally don't support bacteria," says Philip Tierno, director of microbiology and immunology at New York University Langone Medical Center and author of The Secret Life of Germs. "Trace metals like silver, nickel, aluminum and cooper don't allow survival of organisms. They're poisonous to organisms." And like paper money, which has an antimicrobial coating, coins are dry, says Tierno.